Let’s talk about Liz Llorente’s “Burpee World Record”

@lizcleanandlean

I’m sure by now you’ve all seen the reports out of Australia, where a Liz Llorente “smashed” the world record for most burpees in 60 minutes. Barstool Sports has been circulating this video with a very candid critique of the mother from Melbourne.

Can we all agree that these strange movements are nowhere close to a complete burpee at least the one we all know from Spartan or CrossFit? I know most of you have fallen victim to the dreaded Spartan burpee penalty, whether you’re a seasoned pro or rookie. This is a slap in the face to us, or a double sandbag carry on a mountain incline, for a more accurate portrayal of madness!

Llorente was credited with 1490 “burpees” in one hour. That’s approximately 25 per minute, which would be a feat in itself if you’re a pro-OCR participant completing full, chest-to-ground, hands-above-ears burpees. Hell, I can bang out 30 burpees in two minutes if I’m fresh and just going for time. It takes me a significantly longer amount of time when I’m 30-40 minutes into my race, and I miss that damn spear.

According to the very reliable Wikipedia, a non-Spartan/Cross Fit burpee consists of the following movements:

Llorente while very fit and ambitious, cannot, with integrity, say she holds the world record for burpees completed in one hour. She may hold the record for least number of complete burpees in an hour while actually trying! From my point of view, she didn't even complete simplified burpees since her head never goes above her hips. Related, how does her back not completely ache from her poor, bent-over form?

To be fair, this event was put on to help raise money and awareness for #DoItForMS, a charity near working to help cure Australians of the ailment.

When it’s all said and done, if the Guinness Book of World Records wants to dilute world records for something OCR enthusiasts hold close to our hearts, let them. We all know the Mud Run Guide family understands how to complete a proper burpee, under extremely harsh conditions, with complete body fatigue playing a strong role.

Spartan Burpee

If you need a refresher, check out Coach Joe Di on proper form here:

Thanks for reading my rant! Go get ‘em, OCR racers! Remember, Spartan WILL DISQUALIFY you if you do not complete your 30 penalty burpees with proper form. They are watching!

Spartan Race Burpee rule reminder:

“In the event that a Competitor attempt but is unable to complete an obstacle, a penalty must be completed before the Competitor may proceed on course. The standard penalty is 30 burpees. If a Competitor miscounts a burpee penalty (or completes an improper burpee), a 30-second penalty per missed burpee will be added to the Competitor’s time. If a Competitor completes fewer than 20 burpees, the penalty is disqualification. The Competitor is solely responsible for counting his/her own burpees, and should not trust/rely on others, including volunteers, to count for them.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and official policies of Mud Run Guide LLC, or their staff. The comments posted on this Website are solely the opinions of the posters.

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Seth is a competitive OCR enthusiast, who calls Portland, OR home. With the beautiful, endless trails and ease-of-access to some of the nation's best races, he easily finds ways to keep himself busy before, during and after race season. A background in public relations underscores his ability to deliver quality content to Mud Run Guide. Look for Seth on the course and follow @pnw_ocr on Instagram for more!

That thing the elite women do where they lay on their stomach and then arch their back up with their arms, spreading their feet really wide to get into the standing position. To my knowledge that’s never been penalized. That is NOT a burpee. If they are no longer accepting that then I stand corrected.

I love running Spartan races but this is a problem with the Spartan mindset that we know what a Burpee is and no one does them correctly except me…this is why I just race against myself and don’t worry about what other people are doing unless someone asks or looks like they need a hand.

I don’t think it’s a problem with the mindset. Spartan Race holds a standard for their burpees and this doesn’t meet it. Since this publication is targeted towards the OCR enthusiast, it’s a very valid point. I also discuss in the article that she doesn’t seem to actually complete a burpee that meets non-spartan or crossfit regulations.

So. If this is the new record, I guess you could say it was legit if the record prior to this was achieved with the same form (even though I agree, those weren’t burpees). I am curious if there is video evidence of the previous record?

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Welcome to Mud Run Guide - the worldwide leader in mud runs, obstacle course races, and outdoor running adventures. Established in 2012, our focus is to provide you with the best events, discounts, news, reviews, gear, and training for the sport of OCR.